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Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (view source)
Revision as of 22:35, May 19, 2009
, 22:35, May 19, 2009expand
==Argument==
==Argument==
In it, Weber argues that the religious values of protestantism contributed enormously to the rise of [[capitalism]] and economic success of protestant nations. Protestants saw success in business as proof of [[predestination]], and thus put a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurial activity, as opposed to [[Catholics]], who saw wealth as a sign of sin. Weber's thesis is firmly reflected in the success of the [[United States]], which is both the most protestant and wealthiest nation in history, as well as [[Germany]].
In it, Weber argues that the religious values of protestantism --speciifically [[Puritan]] values that emphasize hard work and disparage waste and leisure, contributed enormously to the rise of [[capitalism]] and economic success of protestant nations. Protestants saw success in business as proof of [[predestination]], and thus put a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurial activity, as opposed to [[Catholics]], who saw wealth as a sign of sin. Weber focused on the ideology of Calvinism, which held that salvation must be earned, to be a major cause of the rise of capitalism. The specific sect was less important than the shared values of the sects and their minority position in the general culture.
==Liberal Rejection==
==Tests==
Coleson (1972) argues that the general thrust of the Weber thesis is supported by examining the record of the last century. Those nations with a work ethic and moral standards that are followed, i.e., capitalist nations, are prosperous, while those with a lazy peasantry, a corrupt government, and no moral code, i.e., the Third World, are still suffering famine and poverty.<ref> Edward Coleson, "Weber Revisited: The Reformation and Economic Development Today." ''Fides et Historia'' 1972 4(2): 73-84. </ref>
Weber's thesis is reflected in the business success of the [[Yankees]] in the United States, and the Presbyterians in [[Scotland]], as well as by Protestant [[Germany]]. In recent years, however, Catholic southern Germany has outpaced Protestant Germany.
==Slavery==
Antsley (1979) analyzes the role of religious forces in the formation and expansion of antislavery movements in the United States and Britain and shows the religious influences on the abolition of the British slave trade, the West Indian emancipation, and American antislavery politics. Theological doctrines - Arminianism, redemptionism, sanctification, and postmillenialism - disposed evangelical Protestants to include the slaves among the potentially saved, to hate the institution of slavery, and to strive for earthly reform. Additionally, slavery became a denominational issue, as Anglican Evangelicals, Nonconformists, and Quakers combined to provide the political organization and strategy for abolition and emancipation.<ref> Roger Anstey, "Slavery and the Protestant Ethic," ''Historical Reflections'' 1979 6(1): 157-181. Pp. 157-172. </Ref>
==Further reading==
* Weber, Max. ''The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'' (1905) [http://www.amazon.com/Protestant-Ethic-Spirit-Capitalism-Editions/dp/048642703X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242772269&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]; [http://www.amazon.com/Protestant-Ethic-Spirit-Capitalism-Twentieth-Century/dp/0140439218/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242772269&sr=1-2 another edition; excerpt and text search]
* Baltzell. E. Digby. ''Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia: Two Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Class Authority and Leadership'' (1979)
* Ghosh, Peter. ''A Historian Reads Max Weber: Essays on the Protestant Ethic'' (2008)
* Goldstein, Bernice, and Robert L. Eichhorn. "The Changing Protestant Ethic: Rural Patterns in Health, Work, and Leisure," ''American Sociological Review'', Vol. 26, No. 4 (Aug., 1961), pp. 557-565 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/2090254 in JSTOR], looks at farmers in the American Midwest
* Gorski, Philip S. "The Protestant Ethic Revisited: Disciplinary Revolution and State Formation in Holland and Prussia," ''American Journal of Sociology'', Vol. 99, No. 2 (Sep., 1993), pp. 265-316 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/2781680 in JSTOR], advanced research paper
* Swatos, William H., and Lutz Kaelber, eds. ''The Protestant Ethic Turns 100: Essays on the Centenary of the Weber Thesis'' (2005)
====references====
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[[category: Protestantism]]
[[category: Protestantism]]
[[category: Sociology]]
[[category: Sociology]]